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Winemaker's Notes:

The late Antonio Ferrari was Piemontese, but his heart lay to the south in Puglia. There he harvested Primitivo di Manduria grapes from nearly century-old vines and began their vinification. Before fermentation was complete, however, he transported the must to his cellars in Galliate in the Novara hills. Something about the change in elevation, or perhaps it was the cooler temperatures, arrested fermentation at 14° alcohol, leaving some residual sugar. The wine then went into large old casks for 10 years, and from there into large cement tanks for another 35 years, from which it was eventually bottled. Gigi Brozzoni, Vini di Veronelli: After his death, the children decided to bottle the wine kept for decades in cement tanks, checking the goodness of the father's intuition. Il 49 by Antonio Ferrari, Primitivo di Manduria 1949 but bottled just over a year ago, surprised us with its color, still dark, with only a slight reflections of garnet. The nose, while showing some oxidative touches, reveals a charge of very sweet red fruits, ripe and concentrated, framing a soft Asian spice note, with warm hints of coriander and cinnamon. In the mouth comes great strength and sweetness, with a hint of alcoholic heat that creates a nice contrast to the barest touch of bitterness in the finish, in which there are echoes of almond and bitter herbs; a bit balsamic, almost alpine. Very dense, fruity and powerful. (2005)

The late Antonio Ferrari was Piemontese, but his heart lay to the south in Puglia. There he harvested Primitivo di Manduria grapes from nearly century-old vines and began their vinification. Before fermentation was complete, however, he transported the must to his cellars in Galliate in the Novara hills. Something about the change in elevation, or perhaps it was the cooler temperatures, arrested fermentation at 14° alcohol, leaving some residual sugar. The wine then went into large old casks for 10 years, and from there into large cement tanks for another 35 years, from which it was eventually bottled. Gigi Brozzoni, Vini di Veronelli: After his death, the children decided to bottle the wine kept for decades in cement tanks, checking the goodness of the father's intuition. Il 49 by Antonio Ferrari, Primitivo di Manduria 1949 but bottled just over a year ago, surprised us with its color, still dark, with only a slight reflections of garnet. The nose, while showing some oxidative touches, reveals a charge of very sweet red fruits, ripe and concentrated, framing a soft Asian spice note, with warm hints of coriander and cinnamon. In the mouth comes great strength and sweetness, with a hint of alcoholic heat that creates a nice contrast to the barest touch of bitterness in the finish, in which there are echoes of almond and bitter herbs; a bit balsamic, almost alpine. Very dense, fruity and powerful. (2005)